Explore the happy side of cinematic conflict with “Great Showdowns”

By William Hughes | June 26, 2014 | 8:45pm

Aux Features Film

For the past four years, artist Scott C. (a.k.a. Scott Campbell) has been gracing the Internet with his amazing drawing series “Great Showdowns.” The concept is simple—Campbell picks a movie, draws two antagonistic or opposing elements (sometimes just two characters, sometimes two groups, sometimes one character and an inanimate object they’re bedeviled by) in his lovely, scribbly, cartoonish style, slaps goofy smiles on their faces and a quote from the movie underneath, and calls it good. The result has been hundreds of beautiful little pictures, forming a kind of happy, smiling history of film, running from classics like Dr. Strangelove all the way up to movies released in the last few months.

Campbell’s work has been published in books, and featured in galleries—The A.V. Club posted some of his work last month while discussing the Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Art Show—but there’s a simple pleasure to scrolling down his Tumblr site as more and more of his lovely drawings filter past. It’s one part nostalgia, one part art appreciation, and one part movie trivia game, as you try to use the provided quote to figure out which sometimes obscure film Campbell has interpreted in his distinctive style. It’s a delightful way to kill some time, especially since the cheerful happiness of Campbell’s subjects is honestly kind of infectious.